How agricultural exports can revitalise rural areas: evidence from Japanese agri-SMEs

This study highlights the critical role of export-oriented supply chain integration led by small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises (agri-SMEs) in promoting sustainable rural development Amid growing concerns about rural depopulation and agrarian decline, an increasing number of agri-SMEs in Japan have sought to expand into international markets. Given their firm embeddedness in local communities, such efforts are crucial for revitalising rural areas and advancing sustainable development. Methodologically, this study adopts a comparative case study design and integrates grounded theory coding (open, axial and selective) with cross-case comparison to analyse 15 semi-structured interviews, company and government documents, and official statistics. This approach allowed the researchers to examine how these enterprises construct and manage export-oriented supplychains and how configurations across the four supply chain steps contribute to rural sustainable development. Findings from the qualitative multiple-case analysis suggest that integrating supply chains into the export of agricultural products can improve the economic performance of agri-SMEs and may also generate socio-cultural and environmental benefits at the meso-level, thereby supporting more sustainable development in rural contexts. By pursuing a dual embeddedness—deeply rooted in local participation and responsive to global market demand—agri-SMEs appear to offer a development model that links export expansion with more inclusive rural development. The findings are broadly consistent with the theory of neo‑endogenous rural development.